True match, super blendable, available on local counters, minimal SPF (pero at least meron), plus no visible shimmer (upon application) or excessive dewiness and it actually lives up to the name…Hallelujah.

I’ve owned and used this brand of foundation for over a year now on my first experience with models, clients, and different people more than myself (I never owned my shade up until yesterday) and after I apply it on them let’s say 4 out of 5 times it never fails to make them stare into the mirror and ask me excitedly “What is this foundation? what’s the color? Local lang?! ang galing naman nito…”. I bought Mom her own bottle yesterday and when she wore it this morning I was sure this was ready for some good blogging. I own 2 shades, G3 Golden Beige (my shade), N7 Nude Amber (for clients), and the third one in the middle, N4 Nude Beige, is Mom’s.

I wanted to let time pass before I absolutely rave about it, to try it on different skintones. Camille of Your Little Beauty Baghad two other shades I didn’t have so if I’ve researched correctly online the 10 L’oreal True Match foundation shades that are generally available to Asian L’oreal counters (only about 7 of these are available locally, if there is stock), in order of general lightness, are:

N1 Nude Ivory (neutral fair)

R2 Apricot Ivory (cool/pinkish fair)

G1 Vanilla Ivory (warm/yellow fair)

G2 Golden Vanilla (warm/yellow fair medium)

G3 Golden Beige (warm/yellow medium)

N3 Natural Buff (U.S. name, neutral medium)

G4 Golden Amber (warm/yellow tan medium)

N4 Nude Beige (neutral tan medium)

N7 Nude Amber (neutral medium deep)

G6 Golden Caramel (warm/yellow deep)

Continue reading to see this foundation used on my first photoshoot with a model, and see me try and mildly “road test” this foundation then explain what makes me like it a whole lot, and there is only one thing I really have to complain about with regards to the bottle.

Here’s a quick photo of the model Nicole Kaufmann, I used N7 Nude Amber on her for this shoot and I dotted on a tiny amount of Pixi Flawless Face Primer on her cheekbones as a highlighter to make her more dewy, it’s not the True Match foundation that makes her overly luminous. The photo is “mildly” edited by my friend the photographer but she reassured me that she only did minimal cleanups and the makeup still stands with integrity, she just had to remove stray hairs, moles etc.

Here’s a photo of my shade G3 Golden Beige (at least the one available locally…this is TEENSY WEENSY bit too tan for me, just ever so slightly darker than what probably would have been (I’m guessing) my SUPER TRUE MATCH G2 Golden Vanilla if it were only available here, but even then this color still works beautifully for me. I spotted the exact one online as I write this hehe…

What I extremely like about this foundation is its thin non-greasy consistency that still provides good coverage without looking thick and it sets on the face within a reasonable amount of time, not too quickly like Revlon Colorstay that dries up so fast you hardly have time to blend and work it into the skin. It feels like you put on an oil-free moisturizer that clings to your face and covers red areas like a dream. If you choose the correct color True Match Super-Blendable gives you a natural finish that’s neither too matte nor too dewy. It also has Hyaluronic Acid that keeps your skin hydrated without the grease. For those with oily skin, even though this is a non-greasy foundation, for this to last I’d still recommend a thorough cleansing (as always) and toning of the face to remove dirt and excess oil, then you may use an oil free mattifying primer like Benefit Porefessional before putting this on. There’s only one thing I don’t like, you MUST BE CAREFUL when removing the cap for the first time, check that you don’t have a defective cap, my N7 which was my first one gave me the shock of my life, I pulled off the clear cap and the pump came off with it, tube and all, swatting a thin line of spilled foundation across my model! I don’t seem to have the same problem with my new bottle thankfully.

I liked Revlon Photoready Foundation and have reviewed it as well, it’s great for looks that translate into personal photos, but the visible dewy/glowy finish was not something I liked all the time, especially for daytime, and it felt a bit heavy on my skin. L’oreal True Match doesn’t have visible shimmer like Revlon Photoready but does carry a minute amount of luminous particles carefully integrated into the formula just to mildly boost skin radiance. Here is the shot after I brisk walked my dog for 30 mins outside directly under the sun in extreme humidity…I didn’t wipe my face off or anything here and I’m not wearing concealer. Of course it isn’t an ULTIMATE road test which would be the WHOLE day for a good number of hours, but I can assure you, this foundation will last you at least 8 to 10 hours if you set it with blot or pressed powder and probably 5-6 hours without that.

I’m brave enough to say that L’oreal’s True Match Foundation formula may not be as premium as Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation but because of the amount of shades and tonal ranges plus the luxurious thin consistency that sets without feeling tight or heavy it reminds me of MUFE’s HD makeup a lot, and it is so easy to blend on the surface of the skin, I’m not kidding. I ACTUALLY HAVE FUN putting the base on someone I’m doing makeup on when I use this foundation because it’s so reliable, buildable for evening, and looks great in the daytime. Kandee Johnson, the joyful pretty make-up artist/YouTube guru who was featured in Elle, said that for budding makeup artists on a budget you may choose to start with only two foundations in your kit, one darkest shade of loreal true match and one lightest shade of the same…any other shade in between you can mix, just make sure you’re using the same tone family (N, G, or R). If you’re particular about the color tones and want to be covered for reasonably all “ethnicities” you can limit yourself to 6 shades because there are three “tonal” types in the naming system. The “N” in N7 for example means neutral, “G” in G3 means warm or golden (typical for yellow Asian skins), and “R” in R2 would mean cool/pinkish (for cool western skintones). So get the lightest and darkest of each of the 3 and you’re pretty much good to go. Other high end foundations cost double or almost triple the price of True Match which retails at Php995.00. Oh and one more IMPORTANT note…this color…N7 Nude Amber…you see it? This shade is the bomb because…

…I’m actually almost out of it, almost on empty because this is by far the best shade I’ve tried on medium to medium deep Filipinas, and I’m guessing “Golden Caramel” or G6 which is a step darker is also just as useful. The service ladies at the salon I worked at offered themselves as guinea pigs for me to practice on a lot of time, and I can tell you at least 6 or 7 of them out of probably the 10 salon staff that I did were this exact shade Nude Amber, and in the days that passed majority of them had “N7 Nude Amber daw” on their lips because they couldn’t believe how great a match it was for them. It hid redness, damaged skin, and evened out their complexion without making them look ashy. I can honestly tell you a lot of them didn’t have near perfect skin having to take public transportation and be exposed to the sun all the time on their way to and from work.

One of them even had skin burns from a bad skin product that was sold to her, it gave her pigmentation burns and her skin was all patchy. The thing that almost moved me to tears was I found out that was why she was avoiding being a guinea pig for me. She would tell me she was busy or someone else nalang. Then finally her friends among the staff and the owner of the salon insisted that she let me do her makeup. I cleansed her face and she looked away in shame, I saw the extent of the damage that harmful skincare had caused her. I proceeded to do her base with this foundation, not half expecting it would even out her complexion so well and even match her neck, plus it covered the patches generously as I built it up where needed (to make sure it didn’t become thick all over). She looked in the mirror and her eyes lit up and the shame disappeared and she asked me “Ms. Julia, anu yung ginamit mo sakin?” and she stared at the bottle when I gave it to her and said it was available at SM Watsons and she looked like she was thinking “OMG, kelangan ko toh”. Within the next month, she had bought the foundation and showed it to her colleagues at the salon “Nakuha ko na!” with glee. L’oreal True Match Foundation should be available at PCX, select SM beauty halls/Watsons, L’oreal counters at leading departments stores, and maybe First Aid at Greenbelt.

We have it in the same shade, this is the firsst foundation I’ve ever bought. I just wonder why you said it had no visible shimmers, mine has shimmers. Nice review, I think I’m going back and try it again.

Bless My Bag

Thanks for your comment I meant there’s no visible shimmer UPON application…you still see a hint of luminous particles in the bottle but they’re not obvious when applied to the face unless you’ve got super zoom vision. In revlon photoready the sparkle/shimmer is much more obvious…although I did notice that our shade has that bit of luminous particles and the others don’t seem to have any. Anyway what matters to me is the finish is much, much less in your face “glowy” than Revlon Photo Ready.

http://www.beautyismyduty.com Reena

ooohhh wow… I’ll definitely give this product a try!

Mindy

This was my first foundation and we have it in the same shade. I bought it last December and it was even on sale (got it for just P700+ and Robinsons department store). I do love how dewy it is! The coverage is great, and it really lives up to its claim of being super blendable. I even recommended it to my mom, and she’s now enjoying her own bottle (of the same shade too)! I just hope L’oreal won’t discontinue this product!

esquire

i have super oily skin and primer breaks me out. you think this would be good for me without primer?

Bless My Bag

Just make sure your face is clean and you use a toner to remove excess dirt and oil before using it. Definitely less greasy than Revlon Photoready.

http://www.yellowbuglove.tumblr.com Yelle

Nyaha! Because of this, I made my first purchase of foundation! I got L’Oreal, but the one with the red cap.

camille

Hey, i’m just wondering. i’m nc 40 when it comes to mac studio fix and acne prone. i don’t have loreal here in my place, so can you recommend a shade that would suit me? okay na po ba yung nude amber? i’ll let someone buy it for me lang kasi

http://theblackmentosbeautybox.blogspot.com/ Sharlynn

Hello there! I love how the foundation looks on you and the model! Yes, the colors are good for medium-tan ladies but I am still not satisfied that l’oreal doesn’t have much darker shades in asia! The american line has very dark colors which I think we need more of here! Some of my indian friends can’t find any foundations for their deep complexions.

I’ve bought R2 recently, but I know that I can also N1…I’ve got pink and yellow undertones…

There’s also R1 in the line..’Ivory rose’ and I think I’ve seen N2…I didn’t take note but I believe there are more than the 10 you’ve listed! It’s nice to see a comprehensive list though.

http://galdiwaswife.blogspot.com Cel

I would like to ask if this doesn’t oxidize after a few hours? I have oily skin.

Bless My Bag

Well I don’t feel like I get darker, if ever it oxidizes it isn’t extremely obvious. just wash your face and use a toner before putting this on then set with blot powder.

Trina

Hi! I would just like to ask, do set this foundation with powder? Or no need? If you do, what do you use? Thanks. I will have my ID picture taken and I want to look my absolute best. Hoping for your reply.

Esquire

Another question Julia. How’s the oil control? I grease up easily kasi and have very sensitive skin

http://blessmybag.com Julia

Oh I talk about the oil control in the post, with any foundation if you’ve got oily skin you should just always set it with powder

http://www.juliosbrowsing.net julio

Props to the pretty blogger and make-up artist!

Hope someday I meet a woman like you.

ebencipe

Do you where in the Philippines I can but the other shades of the true match liquid foundation?

yay for this! just got the n7 shade on a whim and i’ve used it only two times pero so far im happy with it too

http://gabriellemiekayla.blogspot.com Gabrielle Tan

Thx for the overall review. Very touching story. I got the G1 shade which is wayyyy too light for me. Im bad at choosing shades. But i think G3 would match me since it matches u. Right? Check out my blog if youre nt busy and if you dont mind, help me decide if it would actually suit me.

Foundation in msia is super exp to own especially for a student like me. So i want to make sure i dont waste my money again.

Thx again for assuring me tat this foundation works with flash photography!! I own the in2it foundation powder as well but i wonder whether it causes flash back or isit just the wrong color.

Sorry for being so chatty. Hehe. Thx again!!

-GeRoL-

Hi, may I ask what’s the US name of N7 Nude Amber? I don’t know if the Neutral Medium Deep you’re talking about is the US name. Just confused because upon checking the 33 shades available in US, there’s no Neutral Medium Deep. Please help. Thanks!